Gaming machines, such as slot machines, video poker machines and, the like, have been a cornerstone of the gaming industry for several years. Generally, the popularity of such machines with players is dependent on the likelihood (or perceived likelihood) of winning money at the machine and the intrinsic entertainment value of the machine relative to other available gaming options. Where the available gaming options include a number of competing machines and the expectation of winning each machine is roughly the same (or believed to be the same), players are most likely to be attracted to the most entertaining and exciting of the machines. Shrewd operators consequently strive to employ the most entertaining and exciting machines available because such machines attract frequent play and hence increase profitability to the operator.
One concept which has been successfully employed to enhance the entertainment value of a game is the concept of a “secondary” or “bonus” game which may be played in conjunction with a “basic” game. The bonus game may comprise any type of game, either similar to or completely different from the basic game, which is entered upon the occurrence of a selected event or outcome of the basic game. Generally, bonus games provide a greater expectation of winning than the basic game and may also be accompanied with more attractive or unusual video displays and/or audio. Because the bonus game concept offers tremendous advantages in player appeal and excitement relative to other known games, and because such games are attractive to both players and operators, there is a continuing need to develop gaming machines with new types of bonus games to satisfy the demands of players and operators.
Gaming machines have utilized a variety of mechanisms to present various combinations of symbols, and award prizes, money, or other awards associated with certain predefined winning combinations. Traditional slot machines, for example, utilize a plurality of reels and at least one payline, with certain combination of symbols landing on the payline constituting winning combinations for which awards are given to the player. Other gaming machines have arranged reels into a two dimensional array such that each symbol is varied (by being on an individual reel), and again awarding prizes to certain winning combinations. However, traditional uses of symbols arranged in arrays have limited entertainment value in that symbols are varied or re-spun with each play of the gaming machine. Furthermore, winning combinations on these traditional gaming machines are instantly removed or erased with each subsequent play of the gaming machine, denying the player additional winning opportunities and added excitement during play. Thus, a need exists for a gaming machine having symbols arranged in an array whereby a winning combination of symbols in the array persists, and is pushed, slid, or otherwise translated through the array to give a player of the gaming machine additional winning opportunities and added entertainment. The present invention is directed to satisfying these needs and solving other problems.